Versatile tapeless drywall system

ABSTRACT

A versatile tapeless drywall system comprising a drywall board panel having a generally rectangular shape formed of paper-wrapped core material and having front and back faces spaced apart to define a thickness of the panel and having long and short edges, said edges being characterized by one of the long edges being tapered on the front face marginal portions thereof enabling pairs of boards of such construction to be secured with the front faces exposed and with one long edge of each being abutted together to form a recess along the joint line of the abutted edges suitable for receiving finishing material therein and with the opposite long edge having a flap extending from the front face and beyond the edge and along the length of the long edge whereby the flap can be rotated about the axis of the front edge of the panel from a position against the face of the panel, for stacking and shipping the panel, through an arc of about 270° so that when the panels are in abutting relationship, the flap can be rotated into contact with and affixed to an abutting panel to thereby join adjacent panels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a drywall system which incorporates a flap and taper system on opposing edges of the drywall to facilitate installation of the drywall without having to separately apply tape the drywall pieces or panels together when they are installed.

In today's economy, any material or technique that decreases labor costs by reducing the time it takes to finish any particular part in construction is welcome by contractors. Labor productivity is a variable that most builders have some control over by using new processes and tools. Further, anything that would give professional results to even the novice or first time user would be desirable.

Once the drywall panels are placed adjacent to each other, and nailed to the support studs, they create a surface, such as a wall. The seams or joints where they are adjacent are joined by covering the seam with a paper tape and joint compound or drywall compound which once hardened is sanded to create a smooth appearance so the seam does not show. So, anything that would reduce the amount of joint compound used to join drywall construction and/or the need to sand it would be desirable as well. According to NIOSH HC30, sanding often exposes the construction worker to high concentrations of talc, calcite, mica, gypsum, and silica. Over time, breathing the dust from drywall joint compounds may cause persistent throat and airway irritation, coughing, phlegm production, and breathing difficulties similar to asthma. When silica, which is a component of the joint compound, is present, workers may also face an increased risk of silicosis and lung cancer. Therefore, any improvement which reduce the use of the finishing or joint compounds are desirable.

Current building construction uses sheets of drywall to form the surfaces of interior walls of buildings. The term “drywall”, as used in this application, is intended to encompass sheet rock, plaster board, wallboard, drywall, or any other similar construction product that is provided in large sheets for wall and ceiling areas. Drywall is formed of sheets of gypsum or plaster, which are sheathed in an outer wrapping of heavy construction paper, and often, with a taper that runs length-wise on both sides. Standard drywall panels are 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall, and have a thickness of from about ⅜ inch to about ⅝ inch. They are usually attached vertically, often by nailing the panels to the supporting studs, e.g., in a house, to create the interior walls of the house. Drywall panels which are 4 feet by 12 feet also known and used by contractors when the drywall is attached horizontally to the supporting studs.

Joints are formed by mating the tapered edge of one board to the edge of another board. The tapered edges running the length of the board, and when placed in an abutting relationship, form a shallow depression along the joint line. Next, the panels are joined by attaching a wet, mortar impregnated paper tape over the seam where the panels are positioned. Finally, the depression if filled with joint compound. Usually enough is used to create a bulging at the seam and this is removed by sanding the excess off to leave a flat, neat seam which is continuous with the panels on either side of the seam. The drywall tape is made of pulp paper and can come in rolls of 250 linear feet. The tape is usually about two inches wide and is used in conjunction with a joint compound or plaster, which is applied wet and requires great skill in it application to be sure there are no wrinkles in the tape, bubbles under the tape, or uneven layers of compound showing. After the tape is applied, additional joint compound or “mud” is applied to fill the depression, and after hardening, the compound is sanded and feathered so that when the wall is painted, there is no appearance of seams and no seams are showing.

Over time, various techniques have been developed to facilitate the alignment and attachment of drywall and/or the application of the tape to join the drywall panels. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,595 to Blubaugh et al. teaches a wall board or drywall system having two types of measuring indicia on a side of the wall board and an integral, transparent vapor barrier applied to the backside of the wall board. Further, the system contains adhesive coated plastic tape which can be used to seal adjacent, mating edges of wall board. U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,775 to Loscuito teaches a tape for seams in drywall construction where the elongated paper tape has a pattern of holes aligned in rows extending across the width of the tape and an acrylic adhesive applied to one surface of the tape so that it can be attached by the adhesive to a drywall seam and will allow compound placed onto the outer surface of the tape to penetrate the perforations holding the tape to the seam.

Other designs include U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,374 to Tucker teaches a drywall edge finishing strip made up of a stiff plastic strip formed to provide reinforcement for longitudinal edges at which interior drywall surfaces meet and for capping the corner formed by the sheets of wall board meeting at orthogonal angles. A contact adhesive strip is mounted on each of the flanges of the edge finishing strip so as to allow the plastic strip to be pressed against the drywall. The structure serves as a cap for protruding soffit corners. Knurled drywall beads are taught by U.S. Publication U.S. 2003/0033770 to Harel, as well as related U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D475,972 and D458,338. U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,680 teaches a corner bead having an elongated metal core strip with a longitudinal arcuate nose and a pair of flanges extending outwardly from the nose at approximately a right angle and having a strip of paper bonded to the exterior surface of the core strip which includes wings for bonding the corner bead in place. U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,259 to Koenig et al. teaches a drywall-trimming assembly for use in resisting butt-edge separation.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,466 teaches an adhesive vapor barrier tape for a ridge purlin. The vapor barrier tape is a single sided adhesive having a vapor barrier strip and each of the two edges of the barrier strip are provided with an adhesive and protected means for the adhesive. U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,123 to Parker teaches an improved construction for a horizontally installed drywall board which incorporates width-wise extending tear-off strips on the back of each butt end. When the butt ends of two boards are mated for nailing to a stud the strips are removed which allows the butt ends to bend at the join line to form a depression for receiving the finishing joint cement. U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,846 to Nahas teaches a wall board fastening member adapted to be positioned as a wall stud or joist between existing studs or joist presently in a wall or ceiling. The wall board fastening member is used where opposing ends of a piece of wall board are not aligned with an existing stud or joist to avoid the necessity of fitting up or cutting the wall board and thus creating undesirable scrap. U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,957 to Stough teaches the use of a pressure-sensitive imperforate paper tape which can be applied to joined ceiling assemblies and which will receive flexible joint compound over the tape. U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,875 to Citron teaches a tape for use in securing a sheet to a surface which has adhesive extending part-way across the face and the full length. U.S. Pat. No. 2,305,247 to Fisher teaches a wall board joint method in which tapered edges are joined to form a joint which can be subsequently covered and filled. U.S. Pat. No. 1,672,099 to Schumacher teaches edge covered boards which when nailed into place will create a depression for filling with joint compound. A similar concept is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,669 to Hunter.

As can be seen, there are many energy-saving or convenient efforts to reduce drywall cost and provide convenience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is the result of the discovery of a versatile tapeless drywall system. While the flap employed in the present invention functions as a drywall tape, the present invention eliminates the need for separately taping the drywall panels, and thus is “tapeless”.

The present invention comprising a drywall board panel having a generally rectangular shape formed of paper-wrapped core material and having front and back faces which are spaced apart to create a thickness and which are defined by long and short edges. One of the long edges is tapered on the front face marginal portion so that pairs of boards of to be secured to form a surface with the front faces exposed and the long edge of each being butted together will define a recess along the join line of the abutted edges suitable for receiving finishing material, such as drywall compound. The opposite long edge has a flap of the paper wrap extending from and beyond the edge. The flap can be rotated about its axis from a position against the face of the panel, which facilitates stacking and shipping, through an arc of about 270° to a position where the panels are in abutting relationship, the flap can be placed into contact with and join the adjacent panel. The recess is will then receive the finishing material to complete the installation of the panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a plane view of the front of a drywall panel in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the panel of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modified tapered edge;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of two panels placed edge to edge as part of their use and installation;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the two panels of FIG. 4 showing further installation;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of two panels arranged for packaging;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of two panels installed in a corner and being secured on the outside of a corner;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of two panels installed in a corner and being secured on the inside and the outside of a corner;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of two panels installed in a corner and being secured on the inside of a corner;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7, but installed using the tapered end and of the panel; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 9, but installed using the tapered end of the panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The versatile tapeless drywall system of the present invention uses a flap and taper system which eliminates the need for separately taping the drywall panels. The panels preferably would incorporate the flap into and make it an integral part of the drywall during its manufacturing. With reference to typical drywall, it would mean doing away with one of the two tapers and instead, extending the construction paper that covers the face of the drywall away from the opposing edge to form a flap. But, the flap could be placed on the drywall panels after they are formed. The flap extension would run the length of the panel and be about 1.75 inches wide on 4 foot by 8 foot panels. A person applying the drywall vertically would utilize the flap to join adjacent panels and for joining panels to for corners. For drywall panels which are hung horizontally, which can be 4 foot by 12 foot panels, a 2⅛″ flap would be employed.

The shape of the taper is not critical and so it could be be flat and squared off on the edge to accommodate the flap. The depth of the depression would be determined by the thickness of the flap and the adhesive layer or joint compound to be used. So, the depth could be a little as less than 1/64 inch or 1/32 inch to as much as ¼ inch, ½ inch or more, depending upon the thickness of the panel. So, the depth could be 2 to 5 times as deep as the flap is thick. After the flap is adhered, it forms a smooth transition to the next sheet with a single, narrow seam, which is easily filled with finishing or drywall joint compound which could be applied in one or more coats. On an inner corner, the flap open 90° leaves a very small seam on the opposing sheet. On an outer corner, the flap rotates 270° to wrap around itself and the next sheet leaving about a 0.5 inch gap on the face (when using 0.5 inch drywall) to be coated or mudded. A thin layer of adhesive facilitates the tab being used to form inner as well as outer corner beads when not mating with a modified edge.

This flap could be used with a quick dry joint compound, pressure sensitive adhesive or double sided tape either pre-applied to the tape or purchased separately. Though construction adhesives like LIQUID NAILS BC-150 from Macco Adhesives of Cleveland, Ohio, a synthetic rubber and resin base with application temperatures that range from 20° to 100° F. and MIRACLE DSA-20 adhesives from Miracle Adhesives Corp. of Newark, N.J. worked well, a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive, which was found to have moderate adhesion properties making it easier to remove any wrinkles or bubbles. This type of adhesive has long-term aging quality and may include rubber or synthetic stabilizers. The adhesive or tape would be covered with a non-adhesive ribbon that may be craft silicone release liner, waxed paper or other materials, which can adhere to the adhesive but be removable in an easy fashion. To accommodate stacking and shipping the flap would be folded back onto the drywall and stacked face to face.

Less joint compound would be used to avoiding waste material and sanding time and no special tools are required, since the drywall tape would not need to be applied. Less sanding would also require less or minimal dust removal equipment and this is very desirable.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drywall panel (1) is generally a rectangular panel 4′ wide by 8′ tall, having a thickness of from ⅜″ to ⅝″ thick. The front surface (2), a rear surface (3), a top edge (4), a bottom edge (5) and two side edges. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side edge (6) is essentially squared with a panel, while side edge (7) has a tapered shape (8). The panel (1) is composed of sheet rock, plaster board, drywall, or any similar construction product to provide walls in construction. The surface of the drywall is covered with or sheathed in an outer wrapping of heavy construction paper so that front surface (2) and rear surface (3) are covered with the construction paper or similar material.

In the present invention, the shape of the taper is not critical and so FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the taper (8). It is preferred that the width of the taper (8) is about 2¼ inches. For the purposes of this invention, the term “taper” is intended to indicate a shallow recess along a marginal portion of the front of the panel which runs the length of the panel and is intended to include a recess of any shape which will accommodate the flap used to join the panels as well as an amount of finishing material which will provide a smooth visual appearance for the joint. This will accommodate the flap (10) which preferably is an extension of the paper surface of the front of the panel. Flap (10) will be about 1¾ inches in width and extend the length of the panel. Flap (10) may be used as is or have an adhesive (11) covering one surface or both surfaces of flap (10). The use of an adhesive coating is preferred. The flap is preferably made of paper which will be accommodated by the finishing materials. While paper is preferred, other materials could be employed such as plastic or fabric. Further, the flat could be perforated, such as by having holes, slots, or other shapes which would allow for the penetration of the finishing material. As shown in FIG. 3, the adhesive is only covering one surface of flap (10). When the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive, it may be desirable to have the adhesive surface covered with a releasable film which can be removed prior to installation of the panel.

As shown in FIG. 4, in use the panels will be set edge to edge with a flap end of the panel placed adjacent to the taper end of the next panel so that the tape can be put into place and adhered to the adjacent panel to hold them together. Subsequently, finishing material can be applied over the tape and leveled or sanded to complete the connection of the panels. Flap (10) is affixed so that it can be turned from a position adjacent to the front tier of the panel through an angle of approximately 270° so that it is in contact with the taper (7) of the adjacent panel, as shown in FIG. 5. As shown, the flap is rotated about 180°, but there will be installations where it may need to rotated further. When folded against face (2) of the panel, the panels can be stacked so that the taper and the flap are on the same end and will be in nesting relationship, as shown in FIG. 6. The panels can be shipped in this fashion by affixing them with shrink or stretch wrap or taping the panels together by wrapping tape around the end of the panels. As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, the drywall panels of the present invention are versatile in that they can be employed in creating angles between drywall panels since the flap can be used in securing the outside of the panels as in FIGS. 7, 8 and 10, or securing the inside of the panels as in FIGS. 9 and 11. As seen in FIG. 8, the flap from each panel can be used to provide additional joining.

As noted, the present invention provides significant flexibility and labor-saving benefits in the installation of drywall panels. Since the panels do not need to be initially secured with joint compound, less is used and there will be less exposure to the material in finishing the drywalling job.

The foregoing embodiments of the present invention have been presented for the purpose of illustration and description. These descriptions and embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principal of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention as to its various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use. It is intended that the invention be defined by the following claims. 

1. A versatile tapeless drywall system comprising a drywall board panel having a generally rectangular shape formed of paper-wrapped core material and having front and back faces spaced apart to define a thickness of the panel and having long and short edges, said edges being characterized by one of the long edges being tapered on the front face marginal portions thereof enabling pairs of boards of such construction to be secured with the front faces exposed and with one long edge of each being abutted together to form a recess along the joint line of the abutted edges suitable for receiving finishing material therein and with the opposite long edge having a flap extending from the front face and beyond the edge and along the length of the long edge whereby the flap can be rotated about the axis of the front edge of the panel from a position against the face of the panel, for stacking and shipping the panel, through an arc of about 270° so that when the panels are in abutting relationship, the flap can be rotated into contact with and affixed to an abutting panel to thereby join adjacent panels.
 2. The panel of claim 1, wherein the flap is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive and a release layer is placed on the adhesive to prevent adhesion of the flap until the release layer is removed.
 3. The panel of claim 1, wherein the flap has perforations.
 4. The panel of claim 1, wherein the flap is paper.
 5. The panel of claim 1, wherein the wallboard panel is wrapped in paper and the flap is integral with the paper wrap on the panel.
 6. A process of constructing surfaces using the panel of claim 1 wherein panels are place in abutting relationship to create walls and the flap of one panel is joined to an adjacent panel.
 7. The process of claim 6 wherein the adjacent panel is placed so that the adjacent edge is the edge having the taper and the flap is joined to the tapered edge.
 8. The process of claim 7 wherein the tapered edge forms a recess and the recess is filled with finishing material to form a continuous surface with the adjacent panel. 